い (i)
Pronunciation
The character い represents the vowel 'i', pronounced like the 'ee' in 'feet' or 'machine' (but shorter and crisper). It is one of the five basic Japanese vowels. The sound is short and clean — never drawn out unless explicitly doubled (いい).
Stroke-by-Stroke Guide
い is written in two simple strokes. Stroke 1: a short curved line on the left, written from top to bottom with a gentle hook to the lower right at the end. Stroke 2: a shorter vertical stroke on the right, slanted slightly. The two strokes are roughly parallel but not identical — stroke 1 is taller and curves at the bottom, while stroke 2 is short and straighter.
Common Words with い
- れい (rei) — zero / nought
- しはらい (shiharai) — payment
- かわいそう (kawaisou) — poor / pitiable / pathetic
- いつか (itsuka) — 5th day of the month
- いちにち (ichinichi) — one day
- むいか (muika) — 6th day of the month
- さびしい (sabishii) — lonely / lonesome / solitary
- いきがい (ikigai) — reason for living / something one lives for / purpose in life
- むなしい (munashii) — empty / void / vacant
- いためる (itameru) — to hurt / to injure / to cause pain
- いつごろ (itsugoro) — about when / about what time / how soon
- におい (nioi) — smell / scent / odour
- あい (ai) — love / affection / care
- い (i) — stomach
- いき (iki) — breath / breathing
- いけ (ike) — pond
- かい (kai) — shellfish
- こい (koi) — love
- さかい (sakai) — border / boundary
- あたい (atai) — price / cost
How to Write い (i) in Hiragana
The hiragana character い is romanized as "i" and is written with 2 strokes. Like "ee" in "feet". Example word: いぬ (inu) — dog.
Stroke Order for い
When writing い, follow the numbered stroke order shown in the reference character above. Japanese characters are generally written from left to right and top to bottom. Correct stroke order improves readability and writing speed.
Practice Tips
- Print this sheet on standard 8.5" × 11" letter paper
- Start by tracing the light grey guide characters in the first column
- Then practice writing い freehand in the empty squares
- Pay attention to stroke direction and order — follow the numbered guide
- For interactive practice with animations, visit the main study page
About Hiragana
Hiragana is one of the three Japanese writing systems. It consists of 46 basic characters, each representing a syllable. Hiragana is used for native Japanese words, grammar particles, and verb endings. Learning correct stroke order is essential for proper Japanese handwriting.